Hafenfeld Ranch
Kern County
Federal Government Supports Working Family
Ranch for Specie Mitigation
Ranchers interested in placing land under conservation
easement in California
have found that working with a diverse group of governmental and
nongovernmental partners has been critical to successfully moving their
projects forward and maintaining their goals for the property. Creativity in working with these groups,
including conservation groups who target prime habitat and other rangeland
resources to protect species habitat – can improve access to funding and the
chances of keeping the land as a viable ranch for future generations. Often
times, the agreement that leads to cooperation is helping those entities to
recognize that the stewardship of the rancher on their land already supports their
conservation goals.
In July of 2007, Bruce Hafenfeld, a rancher on the South
Fork of the Kern River, closed a conservation
easement on his property that was supported by a number of conservation
organizations and made unprecedented partnerships with federal agencies. Not
only has a new blueprint emerged for private property owners to work with these
agencies, but Hafenfeld was also able to acquire funding for the project
through unconventional methods. Hafenfeld’s efforts have opened new
opportunities for ranchers throughout the nation, helping to make ranching conservation
easements an accepted method for mitigating harmful activities to threatened
and endangered species.
This 140-acre easement project mitigated adverse affects on the habitat for the
South Western Willow Flycatcher and brought together the following agencies and
conservation groups to come to this win-win conservation solution: U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Natural
Recourse Conservation Service, Audubon Society and the California Rangeland
Trust.
Please read this full story from the California Cattleman
Magazine at this link: Hafenfeld Ranch
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